Greetings,

Two weeks ago, I had the fortune of meeting up with Chat Happens Co-Founder, Ryan, as he paid me a visit in southern NJ, while I worked for the New Jersey Audubon Society. The visit, as always, was too short, and was shortened even more by the sporadic weather that we had on Saturday with heavy winds and heavy rain. However, despite having to work two of the days during his visit, and with the weather on Saturday, we had the ability to get out a few times and look for birds around various parts of Cumberland and Cape May Counties. Such southern NJ specialties as Yellow-breasted Chat, White-eyed Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Prothonotary Warbler, and even Orchard Oriole came with relative ease. Other hopefuls like Blue Grosbeak, Whip-poor-will, and Chuck-will’s-widow were not detected, even though they are fairly common in the area, and are seen or heard on a nearly daily basis.

Well, Saturday morning (May 31), we decided to hit up Belleplain State Forest to try our luck with Prothonotary, Kentucky, and Worm-eating Warblers, as well as Summer Tanager. We had lots of luck with birds that afternoon, but of the previously mentioned targets, only Prothonotary was found. The looks of that bird were stellar, and certainly made up for a lack of other targets that morning. Have you ever seen a male Prothonotary singing to defend its territory while it had a bill full of grubs to feed its chicks? Such were the looks we had….

However, while looking at the Prothonotary Warbler, I noticed another bird singing in the background. I immediately called out: “Hood Warbler”, and got the attention of my friends and co-workers, if only for second. The bird was not quickly located, and many began to question my ID. “Well, it doesn’t sound quite right for Hooded?”, “Do you hear an extra note in there?”. I felt confident that my assumption was right, but I couldn’t deny the fact that the song was not a textbook Hooded Warbler. After about twenty minutes of searching for the bird, it finally was heard singing a reasonable distance from the road, and after scanning the understory and mid-canopy levels, I was able to find the bird in question singing from an open branch. It was a Hooded Warbler! And a beautiful one at that. I was then able to quickly get all the people in my party on it (Ryan, Cesar, David), and we then discussed the variation in song that we heard.

Now, the ironic thing about this bird is this: This past week, there has been some recent posts on Jersey Birding about a Swainson’s Warbler that was heard in Belleplain State Forest, in exactly the same area that we were in while looking for the Prothonotary Warbler. The bird of course (as is expected with this species), was not observed, only heard, yet many claimed the song was textbook Swainson’s. Before you could even consider driving to Belleplain to refind it, other observers talked about their detection of Swainson’s in another part of the park. The revelation for me came however, when several posters began to honestly discuss the presence of this bird. Obviously, a bird of this nature, would be a fairly big deal. Swainson’s come to southern NJ, and even southern NY, on probably an annual, or semi-annual basis. I don’t have the numbers to validate that, but I recall records from the past few years in each state. In fact, I actually heard a Swainson’s myself on Jake’s Landing Road in 2002 or 2003 I believe. That bird in particular was well documented, and even found visually. A fact that was easy to know due to the legions of birders lining the road for a look. At any rate, a Swainson’s in NJ is a GOOD bird! So care must be taken in making a claim of a detection. Now, while careful birders asked others to make detailed records of such sightings, one birder made a curious observation:

FYI,
Several times this spring in the Sunset triangle area during CMBO Walks we
heard, and saw, a Hooded Warbler with a very atypical song that could be
taken for a Swainson's. I think the Swainson's Warbler must be seen to
confirm.

Does this mean that the bird heard was NOT a Swainson’s? No, and I can’t speak for the quality of birders that made their observations. But it does suggest to me at least that something could have been misidentified. I do remember reading that one of the Swainson’s Warbler detectors went back to the area and heard a Hooded that had a TYPICAL song. Hard to say now for sure as to the identity of any of the birds.

I guess what I’m getting at is this: There are some astounding birders out there, and many of whom are very credible. But for our own ability to learn, what is it that we get from calling out a bird in question if we never SEE IT? Kind of a rhetorical question I guess. I mean, I called out “Hooded Warbler”…and while I felt good about it, what would I have learned from doing that if I never looked for the bird in the end. There are always the birds that we know we KNOW, but I certainly suggest to all that if anything is in question, do your best to find the bird visually. This is certainly how the birders that are at the top of their game: Michael O’brien, Rich Stallcup, Steve Howell, Keith Hansen, Pete Dunne, David Sibley, etc. have done it. It is something I know I must work harder on myself.

Thanks to the Hooded….a lesson learned.